Chapter 52 Chapter 52 The Fourth Wish
After the director of the biology department left the room, he found that his back was soaked with cold sweat. Even through the door, he could still feel the other person's gaze on him.
He knew that he lost this time.
He was very surprised that the Minister of Internal Affairs actually let him go. Such a good opportunity was very rare. If it were him, he would definitely choose to replace the Minister of Biology.
However, mankind still has a future... When the other party said this, he originally thought it was the ravings and self-deception of a fantasist, but he couldn't help but hope that it was true.
It's just a kind of lucky mentality, like making a wish to God.
…
Inside the room, just as System 05 stood up, Chen Mu walked out from the inner room. After careful consideration, he did not directly appear in the negotiations this time, but he also got the result they wanted.
The problems of the Biology Department have been largely solved, but there is still a lot to be done for them.
"Do you think he is trustworthy?" Chen Mu asked.
"Not worth it, but he can get the job done," System 05 said. "We don't have time. He understands the Biology Department and is more useful than someone loyal but incompetent."
"You prefer someone who is capable but difficult to control to someone who is loyal but incompetent."
System 05 rolled her eyes. "Why can't it be someone who is both loyal and capable? Those two things don't conflict."
“I think I meet that criteria.”
System 05 choked. "If it was the Biology Department Director, I'd at least be on guard against him biting me back at any moment. But with you, who knows what might happen."
"I'm sorry about what happened before, although I don't regret it." Chen Mu blinked, looked down at him, and said, "But this time, can you trust me?"
System 05 had no intention of dwelling on this topic with him. She looked away and said, "The fifth meeting of the Internal Affairs Department will be held tomorrow morning."
Chen Mu nodded solemnly: "I hope we can make a decision this time."
The next morning, System 05, who had been busy all night, entered the conference room. There were already five people sitting inside. After System 05 entered, they all stood up and nodded to him.
These five individuals are members of the Internal Council, having passed assessments to join the council and been selected after six months of observation by System 05. While the other members of the Internal Council are responsible for investigating, gathering data, and providing internal references, these individuals conduct analysis, discuss, and make decisions. Today is the Internal Council's fifth meeting, a monthly one.
"The topic of discussion this time is still about the different directions of the base." System 05 said, sitting in his seat.
A yellow-haired young man next to him asked, "Where is the leader?"
"He'll be here soon." System 05 yawned. He and Chen Mu hadn't slept the whole night before to deal with the materials to be prepared for today's meeting. They came to the meeting right after it ended.
The yellow-haired young man let out a long "oh" and smiled mysteriously. System 05 discovered that other people were also looking at him with ambiguous eyes.
Soon, Chen Mu also walked in. He sat down straight away, raised his chin and said, "The materials are ready. Let's take a look first."
The yellow-haired young man complimented him in a nonsensical way: "Chief, you are in great health and spirits!"
"?" Chen Mu looked at him doubtfully, then smiled knowingly: "He's a little better than your boss. He doesn't seem to exercise more all day."
System 05 threw a document in front of him.
The documents currently before the Internal Affairs Council members included a status report on virus concentrations, the base's medical progress, and other base-wide developments. The more information they read, the more depressing the atmosphere in the meeting room became. Finally, the report outlined two possible paths the base could take: one was to continue investing in medical research, hoping for a future drug sufficient to combat the virus; the other, more secretive and fanciful, involved searching for a century-old spacecraft and energy source to lead the base's people to the moon.
Considering the existing resources of the base and even all the living humans, they can only choose one.
So far, the second plan was known only to the seven people present, who also knew of the existence of the chip.
"I still think that we should increase investment in medicine. This is the path we have been taking and we have accumulated a lot of experience. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, we will find the answer." One of the internal affairs committee members said. He also gave an example. It is like digging for groundwater in the desert. It is better to keep digging than digging here and there. What's more, they have no time.
The yellow-haired young man said, "Maybe there will never be an answer, brothers. Since we haven't found anything after digging for a hundred years, it means there is no water here."
Another member of the House of Representatives said: "So far, we have seen a glimmer of hope. At the first base, they have begun to try to administer the vaccine."
"But the virus is evolving faster than the vaccine can be developed."
"Are we going to abandon this planet?"
"We are discussing the practical issues of how to survive. Can we put aside sentimental issues for now?"
"Finding energy and spaceships from a hundred years ago is even more outrageous than developing medicine. Frankly, it's a fantasy! Even if there really are energy and spaceships hidden somewhere waiting for us to dig them up, will they still be usable a hundred years from now? Can we be sure they can get us to the moon? Even if we get there, how will we survive? Medicine, at least, is something you can see and touch!"
"Dependence on medicine is an anesthetic that leads people to voluntarily enter a slow death."
"We can promote cooperation with the First Foundation in the medical field. Up to now, the living people are still constantly competing for resources and fighting each other. They have never been united!"
"We won't be united in the future. Even when the world ends, we won't be united."
The debate among the members of the Internal Council was intense, but precisely because of this, they expressed their thoughts, expounding on the pros and cons, each with their own reasons. System 05 and Chen Mu listened intently. Even though they had inherited memories, they still lacked some consideration of details compared to those who had lived in this world since childhood.
Of the five members of the Internal Council, only the yellow-haired young man insisted on the spaceship faction. He had been admitted from the fifteenth floor, where there were no educational resources, so he had never received any schooling. His living conditions were even worse than Bai Daqiu's. System 05 didn't know how he learned to read. The assessment consisted of a written test and an interview. The written test asked some basic questions, while the interview was conducted by System 05 himself, who asked several key questions.
"What is the most pressing problem that the base needs to solve right now, and how to solve it?" "The impact of virus evolution on the base", "The future direction of the relationship between bases", "How should we survive".
He was impressed by the young man with yellow hair, the youngest among those interviewed, and also the most radical. He believed humanity only had one year left and must plunder resources from other bases to secure a chance of survival for their own base. Upon learning of the spaceship's existence, he immediately became a staunch supporter of the spaceship faction, stating that only through the most extreme and desperate means could the base find the best chance of survival.
The blond young man was called Jin Zhuan, a year younger than Bai Daqiu. Although he had radical ideas, he was very meticulous and patient in his work.
"This time, we're going to discuss and come to a conclusion." After arguing for nearly three hours, System 05 stood up and opened the window to let in some fresh air. He stood by the window and said, "Now, let's vote. Everyone has one vote. We'll write down our choices on slips of paper, and the minority will obey the majority."
They did not choose to vote by raising their hands because they did not want them to be influenced by the leader. A piece of paper was placed in front of each person. Some people started writing immediately, while others thought for a long time. System 05 and Chen Mu also wrote down their choices.
Finally they opened the note together.
Three members of the Internal Affairs Council chose medical research and development, the yellow-haired young man and another woman chose the spacecraft, and System 05 chose the spacecraft. Now only Chen Mu is left, and his choice will determine the base's future plans.
Chen Mu opened the note, which said going to the moon.
There was a moment of silence before Chen Mu said, "Since we've all made our choice—from now on, all base operations will be aimed at reaching the moon. Next, we'll discuss the specific plan, such as whether we should collaborate with other bases and how to find energy and spacecraft."
The three men, though unconvinced, ultimately agreed with their leader's opinion. Regardless of how they felt about finding a spacecraft to the moon being a fantasy, now that the decision had been made, they were willing to respect it.
The meeting lasted until noon. Everyone left after being assigned tasks. Jin Zhuan was responsible for investigating the possible locations of energy and spacecraft, while others were responsible for contacting other bases or continuing to optimize the current base management and move towards new goals.
Chen Mu and System 05 stayed at the back.
Chen Mu asked, "When are you going to tell those three ministers?"
"Wait a moment." System 05 yawned and said, "The factory has been renovated. We'll go inspect it tomorrow. Do you have time?"
"The renovation started half a year ago and it's only now completed..." Chen Mu sighed softly.
But this efficiency is already very fast, but for them, time is the most urgent thing. Every day, the virus concentration is increasing, and death is chasing after them.
The renovation factory was built specifically for the spacecraft. While it's called a factory, it's actually a research and development center, primarily focusing on technology from a century ago. Over the past six months, after various adjustments, the base has begun to generate a financial surplus. They've acquired artifacts from abandoned cities, including some seized from underground forces. After establishing the research and development center, they'll invest significant resources in the hope of successfully launching the spacecraft once it's found.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
